During your stay in the Pays Bigouden, be sure to visit the various ports: Lesconil, Guilvinec, Penmarc’h, Loctudy or even Saint-Guénolé are among the largest French fishing ports.
All the agri-food sectors linked to fishing are present in southern Finistère. In all, more than 5,500 people depend on food from the sea in this region. Coastal and deep-sea fishing, professional shore fishing, shellfish farming, seaweed harvesting are well established in Pays Bigouden.
To visit a port here is to discover a part of the local history.
The Port of Lesconil
At 10:30 am or 4:30 pm, meet at the port to buy your fresh fish when you return from fishing. You will fall under the spell of this small port of character. From now on, he coexists fishing, boating, but also the cultivation and exploitation of algae.
Every day, around 11 am, it is possible to buy your fish directly on the quay. In the evening, around 4:30 p.m., you will see langoustine disembarking in the port. For seaweed lovers, you will find a small shop that will make you happy!
From the GR34, at the foot of the Camping des Dunes, you can access this charming little port. You can take the opportunity, during the walk, to admire the wild side of Lesconil and the rocks with original shapes.
The Port of Guilvinec
In the history of fishing ports, you probably know the famous port of Guilvinec. It is known to be the most important in France for its Breton fishing, but also for the magnificent spectacle it offers to visitors.
In fact, every day at 4.30 p.m., the coastal trawlers return to the quayside to bring back their catch of the day. It is therefore a magnificent ballet of boats that parades before your eyes!
Don’t know what to eat for the meal? You will have the choice between several fish, but also between several seafood.
The Port of Saint-Guénolé
The port of Saint-Guénolé is the 7th fishing port in France and the first sardine port in the country.
Early in the morning, you can watch the sardines unloading. The sardine boats, also called “purse seine fishermen”, practice night fishing, the sailors unload the fish for the 6.30 am auction. At 4.30 p.m., it’s the turn of the coastal boats to land the day’s catch: burbot, pollack, rays, turbots and of course the famous langoustine! From 7 p.m., the offshore boats deliver the product of a fortnight’s catch which will be sold the next morning.
The Port of Loctudy
This is where you will find the famous langoustines or “Demoiselles de Loctudy”. Mandatory stop in this still active fishing port to buy fresh fish. You can also enjoy a magnificent panorama of Île-Tudy, the Pont-l’Abbé river and the Perdrix turret.
The Port of Penmarc’h – Kérity
It is impossible not to pass by the pretty little artisanal fishing port of Kérity, which is a stone’s throw from the famous Eckmühl lighthouse.
This port is, today, turned towards the reception of yachting, after the departure of the last fishing boats to the neighboring port of Saint-Guénolé at the end of the 1990s.
The Pays Bigouden is a territory open to the sea !
Go on different maritime adventures !
Photo © PORIEL Thibault / SB
